Who You Know: Trailer and Exclusive Interview

The rom-com starring Dylan Everett, David Hewlett, and more is set to make a splash at film festivals.

Fans of indie rom-coms have a new film to look forward to as the trailer for the upcoming Who You Know has been released.

Starring David Hewlett of The Shape of Water and Stargate: Atlantis fame, as well as Dylan Everett (Degrassi, Pure), Niamh Wilson (Giant Little Ones, Degrassi: The Next Generation), and Stephen Joffe (Alias Grace), Who You Know is a charming and darkly comedic look at the world of screenwriting. Written and directed by Toronto-native Jake Horowitz, the film follows a film school grad who tries to win over the daughter of his favourite screenwriter in an attempt to meet his idol and get a leg up in showbiz.

The first-look trailer shows off a film that’s proudly set in Toronto and Ontario cottage country and twists the standard rom-com formula on its head with millennial protagonists, meta-jokes, and hidden references that reward multiple viewings. After catching a sneak-peak of the full film, we have no doubt that it will be a hit on the festival circuit when it debuts this fall. The film is laugh-out-loud funny while still being genuinely heartfelt. It is packed with unexpected yet rewarding twists and turns, and the acting, writing, and direction on display makes it one of the best indie movies in recent years. We caught up with writer/director Jake Horowitz to learn some more about Who You Know.

What was the challenge in putting together the trailer?

Who You Know is a tough movie to define, so making the trailer was a challenge in terms of figuring out what we want audiences to know about this film in under two minutes. While the simple way to describe the movie is ‘rom-com,’ the film doesn’t really fit into that box, which we show in the second half of the trailer. So while the first half of the trailer may look like some of your favorite rom-com trailers, starting with the meet-cute, a few jokes, and the basic plot, that’s not all Who You Know is. Without giving anything away, the second half of the trailer – which shows flashes of more dramatic scenes and can be interpreted a number of ways – is loaded with the messy, twisty, and dark parts of the movie that audiences wouldn’t necessarily think about when thinking ‘rom-com.’

What are you most excited for audiences to discover in Who You Know?

The consensus from those who have seen the film is that it didn’t go where they expected it to, but they were still charmed the whole time. When setting out to make Who You Know I wanted to emulate the type of charming rom-com that breezes by, but I also wanted to twist the tropes on their head. So I’m excited for audiences to come into the film expecting to like all the characters and hope the guy and the girl get together, and then be surprised at what we have in store for them, while still being happy at how it ends. I’m also excited for them to discover some amazingly quotable lines delivered by our hilarious actors.

How will audiences be able to find Who You Know?

Who You Know is a completely independent film, so film festivals will be crucial for people to discover us. For us to go to festivals, we’ve been asking fans and people excited to see the film to tweet to their local festivals so the festivals know there’s an appetite to see Who You Know on the big screen. We’ve submitted to some great festivals in Canada, the US, and internationally, so we hope everyone will follow us on social media and get in touch with the great festivals we want to be a part of and let them know you’re excited to see our new take on the rom-com.

What’s next for you?

My next feature is written and we were lucky enough to get into the prestigious FIN Partners financing market at the FIN Atlantic International Film Festival. It’s a dark zombie comedy set at a retirement home and it manages to be funny while being poignant and tragic and say something interesting about aging in our modern world. I’m also producing a spectacular LGBTQ short film called Clouds about two opposing characters who are stranded at a motel and forced to confront their secrets and insecurities. We’re funding it through GoFundMe with some awesome rewards, so any help to get this tender and intimate story told would be incredible. You can donate here.